thewonderingduck

Each schools website has a description of what they are looking for in a personal statement. I started by writing one general statement that I then changed to meet each schools description.  I go to WSU. I applied to WWU, CU Boulder, and UU

I am so sorry you had those bad experiences in Mankato, and thank you for letting me know about them! I will definitely keep that in mind as I continue into the application process. While the university could be different, if that is the general culture in the town it doesn't sound like a place I would want to be. Small towns can either be great or very close-minded, and it sounds like Mankato is the latter. Thank you again for sharing your experiences. 

I'm sorry to butt in on your conversation but I actually lived in Mankato for 12 years (plus 4 if you count coming home for breaks during undergrad)! And my dad works in the Veterans center there. If you have any questions about the town please let me know! I live in Denver now and have applied to the MA Linguistics program at Boulder.

Unfortunately I do not know much about those schools other than CU Boulder which did (as someone else mentioned) require 4 letters of rec rather than the standard 3. I visited that uni over the summer and I fell in love with it and the area. Unfortunately the out-of-state tuition is murderous so even if I am accepted, I will not attend which is unfortunate. But that list of schools seems very solid! I'm sure some of those are less known (I've personally never heard of Duluth or Mankato), so I do not think you would have a problem getting into most of those!

4 of my 6 schools are on your list above, plus my undergrad school as well! I would say that if you apply to WSU, then apply to EWU as well. The 2 schools share the entire program (professors, clinic, cohort, etc.).

Almost all schools require three letters of rec. Usually programs look for a minimum of two academic references (PhD level professors, not grad student lecturers) and then the third can be from anyone. CU (my undergrad institution) requires four, and I think a few others might as well. I think it would be great to ask a practicing SLP for a letter, as long as you have at least two professors as well ?

That is great, thanks for the insight! Ahh that is my biggest fear - not applying to enough schools and not getting in anywhere. I want to find a good balance of having lots of options but not totally breaking the bank either. I will definitely reserve my winter break for working on applications

One of my professors in Biology that I took classes from and was a TA for her in Anatomy & Physiology for Nursing students, reached out to me to join her research. Sometimes it just comes from a connection to a professor! Don't also hesitate to ask professors if they have anything available!

Thanks for the tip! Where can I find opportunities for research? I have never heard of any but I am also not actively looking.

You just made me feel much better, so thank you! I met with my advisor last week and she made me feel like I was not at all prepared (why do advisors do that?!?) so I really appreciate more realistic feedback from you. 
 
I do have some questions. With my stats/accomplishments/etc. how many schools do you recommend applying to that are "reach" vs "safety"? I know you mentioned applying to as many schools as I can afford, so now I guess I'm just wondering what my ratio of the type of schools I apply to should be.